Machine



(No Model L. M. CONKLIN & s. TERWILLIGER.

HAT FORMING MACHINE. L

Patented Mar. 9, 1886.

rames Unrrnn a, PATENT LEDUN M. OONKLIN AND SILAS TEBWILLIGER, OF MATTEANVAN, NEW YORK.

HAT FORMING MACHINE.

:ZLFECEFIGATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 337,382, dated March 9, 1856.

' Application tiled December 2, 1885. Serial No. 184,486. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LEDUN M. CONKLIN and SILAS TERWILLIGER, citizens of the United States, residing at Matteawan, in'the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Forming Machines; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art; to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to machines for forming wool-hat bodies, and which in their operation clothe or cover a former or block with a woolen lap as it is delivered from the cardingmachinc. The former, as usual, is supported on and driven by conical-shaped rollers,which pack the wool as itis taken on. These conical rollers have been driven from the doffer driving mechanism by belts. In consequence of the slipping of such belts much loss of time and material has resulted. In our machine this objection is obviated by the interposition of a shaft and gearing between the doffer-driving mechanism and the gearing of the conical rollers, whereby a positive motion is communicated from the one to the other. Theformer= blocks are preferably made of the common form of two conicalfrustu ms rounded at their ends and united at their bases and supported and revolved by the co-operative action of the conical rollers in such a manner that the ends of the former have a motion to and from the carding-machine. Owingtotheconoidal shape of the former and its vibratory movement, when the end of the former would be nearer the carding-machine, the lap would slacken and cause a wrinkle or gather in the hat-body. This has been obviated by the attendant raising and straightening out the web at each turn of the former.

In our machine the operation is done mechanically. The web or lap, as it passes from the carding-machine onto the former, extends between a pair of guide-bars relatively fixed, and thence over a vertically-vibrating regulator, which is actuated by arms or eccentrics in such a manner that the regulator is actuated at the moment the former shifts its position, thus preserving an even tension on the web and insuring a smooth delivery to the former, thereby producing a body of even thickness and in a shorter space of time.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the delivery end of an ordinary carding-machine and a portion of a hat-forming machine of wellknown construction, our improvements being shown in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of the bearingsupport for one end of the regulator-bar. v

The carding-machine frame A, the doffercylinder B, the doffer-driving mechanism C, hat-former frame D, conical rollers E, roller driving mechanism F, and the former-block G are all old and of well known construction and operation, the same being shown as a means of carrying out and illustrating the application of our improvements.

v Heretofcre the shaft H of the roller-driving mechanism of the hat-former was extended, and motion imparted thereto by a pulley and band. In our present machine the shaft has a gear-wheel, h, keyed thereto. A shaft, I,

stepped in a lower bearing, i, and journaled on a bracket, J, is provided with pinions z" i, the former in mesh with the gear-wheel h. A double pinion, K. mounted on a shaft, k, projecting from the frame of the carding-machine, receives a rotary motion from the dotfer-driving mechanism and imparts the same to the shaft I through the pinion i, with which it meshes. The web or lap L, as it leaves the doffer-cylinder B, passes downward and beneath a guide-rod, M, over a guide-bar, N, and under a regulator, O, thence to the hat-body former G. The regulator O is simply a bar mounted at each end in bearing-blocks 0, which work in vertical guides P. The blocks 0 receive an alternate movement in a vertical direction. As one ascends. the other simultaneously descends. Thus the regulator vibrates aboutitsmiddlepoint,so tospeal ,as is mani= fest. By this construction it will be readily understood that the relative distance between the blocks varies during each stage of their movement, and that the angle formed between them and the regulator correspondingly changes as a consequence.

To the efi'ective working of the machine the regulator must have a loose connection with the supports. To compensate for these changes and to keep the bearing blocks to the guides F, the latter are undercut, the blocks being 5 correspondingly shaped.

A shaft, Q, transversely mounted in suitable bracket-bearings, q, secured to the base of the hat-former frame, is provided with an eccentric, T, at each end and an intermediate gear-wheel, R, meshing with a pinion, r, on

the shaft H. Pitmen S connect these eccentri'cs with the blocks 0. These eccentrics are so disposed that when one is at its highest thrust the other is at its lowest, and vice versa.

1 By reason of the double pinion K, shaft I,

and the pinions z z" i a positive motion is imparted from the dofl'endriving mechanism to the hat-former roller-bed. In operation the former-block is rotated by the roller-bed E, as usual, and vibrated and shifted so as to be thoroughly covered with the web. The regulator and its driving mechanism are so disposed thatsimultaneonsly with the swing or shift of the former the regulator vibrates or swings vertically in the proper di' rection to preserve an 'even tension on the web and cause the same tofeed smoothly to the former. V Ve are aware that heretofore hat-forming o machines have been provided with a tender or regulator which has a lateral swinging motion in a vertical place, and also that a rocking motion has been given to said regulator at the end of each swinging movement, and do not claim such as our invention, which is essentially different therefrom, inasmuch as the regulator has no lateral swinging or side toside motion, but a vibratory or rocking movement only in a vertical plane.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a lap-supplying 'roller and a body-block of a hat-forming me- 5 chine, of a regulator-bar interposed between the roller and former and vertically-moving supports at each end of the bar traversing in alternate directions to vibrate said bar about its central point in a vertical plane, substantially as described, and for the purpose speci- 5o fied.

2. The combination ofalapr'supplyingroller,

a body-block of a hat-forming machine, vertical guides, bearing-blocks working in said guides, and a regulator-bar loosely connected with and supported in said blocks to auto matically adjust itself to the variation of angle and to the varying distances between the blocks, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the doffer-cylinder, the (letter-driving mechanism, and a regulator arranged in a horizontal position parallel with said cylinder. with a hat-former, a transverse shaft, gearing. substantially as described, eonmeeting said shaft to the doffer-driving mcch- 6 anism, eccentrics on said shaft, and pitmen connecting said eccentrics to each end of the, regulator, whereby the latter is vibrated vertically, substantially as set forth, and for the purposes specified. .70

4. The combination, with the carding-ma-v chine and its driving mechanism, and the hatforming machine and its driving mechanism, of the herein shown and described means for positively connecting the two sets of gearings, consisting of the double pinion, a shaft nearly vertically arranged, pinions keyed to or near each end of the shaft, the upper pinion meshing with the double pinion, anda third pinion attached to an extension of a shaft from the hatformerdriving-gearing and meshing with the lower pinion or the connecting-shaft, substan tially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

LEDUN M. GONKLIN. SILAS TERWILLIGER.

Witnesses:

DANIEL H. MoNKs, ELI UPRIGI-IT. 

